


house keys, homework, and a first aid kit

by broadway_hufflepuff



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Bad Parent Ted Wheeler, But like relevant to the series, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Good Parent Karen Wheeler, Good Sibling Nancy Wheeler, Heart-to-Heart, Honestly Ted you have children, Mike Wheeler & Nancy Wheeler Bonding, Protective Mike Wheeler, Sad Mike Wheeler, Sibling Bonding, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-25 06:50:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21352015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broadway_hufflepuff/pseuds/broadway_hufflepuff
Summary: In which Mike and Nancy have a much needed heart to heart.
Relationships: Mike Wheeler & Nancy Wheeler
Comments: 6
Kudos: 54





	house keys, homework, and a first aid kit

**Author's Note:**

> I was sitting in school and all of a sudden I thought: damn, Mike Wheeler with bloody knuckles, needing first aid? Uh,,, yes. So orginally I was going to have Max help him out, but I realize Nancy completed the scene in a more efficient way than Max (although I loved her.)
> 
> All characters are NOT mine, they belong to Stranger Things on Netflix.  
Please enjoy, and as usual, PLEASE DON'T REPOST! Thank you :)

When Nancy gets home from school, Mike is sitting on the front steps, hands oddly folded.

"Hey, asshole," she greets, not unkindly. "Why are you sitting out here?"

Mike bites his lip. "Mom had some sort of emergency- she called school." Seeing the look on Nancy's face, he hurriedly adds "She's okay, though. I think Mrs. Robinson from next door needed help, or something."

"What about Dad?"

Mike rolls his eyes and snorts. "Nancy, _please. _We both know that he won't be home for a while. He spends more time at work than he does here! Did you _really _think-"

Nancy scowls. Sometimes, she wonders if her parents forgot to teach Mike manners. It seemed like Karen tried, but Ted kind of just reprimanded every couple minutes- like he wanted to say he'd read the book on parenting, yet never actually used any of the tips.

"...said you had keys?" says Mike. Nancy startles, realizing she'd zoned out.

"Sorry," says Nancy. "What?"

"_Mom_ said you had the _house key," _Mike replies, impatient.

"Oh. Yeah." 

Shuffling through her purse, she feels the slick, slightlyjagged key and grabs it, the metal digging into her palm.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Mike wince.

"Hey," she calls for his attention. "Mike? Are you alright?"

Looking sheepish, he nods. "Yeah." He fiddles with his hands again.

Nancy narrows her eyes, staring intensely at his shaking fists.

"What happened?" she says softly. She sits down on the steps next to him, knees together.

Sighing, Mike unhinges his hands from each other, revealing bruised, bloody knuckles on his right hand. "I, uh... got in little fight."

"Mike!"

He lets out a dramatic sigh, air dwindling out of him like a deflating balloon. "I _know_, okay? I know I _shouldn't_, Nancy. But he just... he threatened Will and-"

"Who keeps threatening you guys?" Nancy demands. "Is it that Troy kid?"

Mike is quiet, furiously trying to wipe the blood off with a leaf. "It doesn't_ matter_ who it was, Nancy." _Which really meant, yes, yes it was that son of a bitch Troy Walsh._

Nancy softens. "I'm sorry they keep picking on you, Mike. I wish I could help." She pauses. "Come on, let's get that hand of yours cleaned up."

She helps Mike off the steps and leads him into the house.

The gauze is in the medicine cabinet in her parents bathroom, so Nancy instructs Mike to sit on the bathroom floor while she wraps his hand.

"You _are_ helping, you know."

Nancy looks up. "What?"

Mike glances at her. "You're _helping_," he says quietly. "Look around. Who else is here? Not Mom. Not Dad. Not Holly. _You._" When Nancy doesn't answer, Mike adds "And, uh, thanks."

Nancy smiles. "So Mom and Dad _did _teach you manners after all."

"Shut _up!"_

She laughs, finishing wrapping the gauze around the last time. "Why don't you get some ice and give me your homework?"

"Huh? Why do you want my homework?"

"So you can tell me the answers and I can write them for you, dummy. How were you planning to write with that hand?" Nancy stands and tucks the First Aid kit back in the cabinet.

"Oh." Mike's eyes are wide. "Why are you being so cool about this?"

Nancy sighs. "Look. We've been through hell and back- is the Upside Down considered hell at this point? I don't know. Just- we have to look out for each other."

Mike nods, face splitting into a slight grin. "So... you'll do my homework for me every once in a while!"

_"Jesus,_ Mike, no. Just this once."

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment and leave kudos! As always, thank you guys so much for reading!


End file.
